Ous Mellouli

Tunisia has no shortage of heroes. After all, the nation launched the Arab Spring. But in London, Tunisian swimmer Ous Mellouli will be making ripples of another kind. Mellouli, 28, will not only defend the 1,500-m freestyle gold that he won in Beijing but also race in the 10-km open-water event. In June, he won an open-water Olympic qualifier in Portugal, in just his second competitive open-water race. When asked why he was trying to double up at the Olympics, Mellouli replied, “Why not?” The swimmer, who trains in Southern California, left Tunisia at age 15 to pursue his Olympic dreams. After the revolution, he told TunisiaLive that leaving home will no longer be necessary. Now, he said, “for that young Tunisian born with ambition, he can make miracles happen.”